Stuck in a Creative Rut? Valery Satterwhite can let you know if you are following 'fools rules'
Valery Satterwhite and I met on Twitter. I had the pleasure of being interviewed for her “Inner Wizard” website that helps artists “empower the artist within” back in March. (CLICK HERE to listen to the interview) She tweeted about this article the other day and I thought I’d share it with you… hopefully these are rules you are willing to break!
Stuck in a Creative Rut? You May Be Following Fools Rules
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Valery_Satterwhite]Valery Satterwhite
Life is a game. Whether you enjoy life or not depends upon the rules – your own personal rules of life.
Whether you realize it or not you guide your life, make your choices, based upon a set of rules you selected for yourself in early childhood. These rules were based on misinterpretation or complete unchallenged acceptance of whatever was seen or heard. A well-meaning relative who tells a child “Don’t be stupid” as she is about to put mustard on the cookie dough becomes Rule #1: I AM STUPID. A teacher’s remark that a child is not performing to her potential becomes Rule #2: I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH. A well-meaning parent’s warning “Don’t talk to strangers” becomes Rule #3: STRANGERS WILL HURT ME.
“Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.” – Henry David Thoreau
The rules you have taken on for yourself that do not support you hold you back. If you believe you are stupid you will not attempt creative challenges that require intelligence. If you think you are not good enough you won’t allow yourself to reach for what you desire to achieve in your craft. If you think strangers can inflict harm you may resist public speaking.
Your Inner Critic, often the fool, is the manager of these rules. Since you adopted these rules, you can change them. You can take away the power your Inner Critic has to shape your choices and possibilities around these rules. You have the power to create NEW RULES!
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” – Dr. Seuss
Be mindful of the thought patterns and internal belief systems (your rules) that form the decisions you make, the direction you take in life. If you discover that they are negative and unsupportive take note. If, for example, you recognize the “I am stupid” rule being served up by that Inner Critic of yours, look for evidence of a new rule – “I AM SMART”. Examine your life and look for experiences where you made a choice that benefited you and others. Look for examples of the opposite. Create a newer, better, rule to believe in.
“The rule which forbids ending a sentence with a preposition is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.” – Winston Churchill
Project this exercise out into other areas in your life. For example, if you believe that women over 40 years of age cannot get a good role in a movie look to the many women over 40 who are, indeed, getting great juicy parts in major motion pictures. Meryl Streep, Heather Locklear, Diane Lane, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cindy Crawford, Glenn Close, Ellen Barkin, Marcia Cross, Helen Mirren, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Lauren Graham, Mary-Louise Parker, Frances McDormand, Laura Linney, Dame Judi Dench, Sally Field, and Emma Thompson are just a few of the many women over 40 who are actively working and enjoying successful acting careers.
“Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often.” – Samuel Butler
Your Inner Critic whispers your old misguided set of rules to you when you are about to stretch beyond your current comfort zone. This frightened little child within works hard to keep you safe although it is very misguided on what will keep you safe. It fears change of any kind. Change is unknown and therefore frightful. Rely on the power that you have within you that is your birthright. I playfully call this internal resource of self-esteem and wisdom the Wizard Within. When in doubt, ask what your Wizard Within would choose to believe and do. Change your rules to change your life!
“We all know, from what we experience with and within ourselves, that our conscious acts spring from our desires and our fears. – Albert Einstein
Copyright (c) 2009 Valery Satterwhite
Valery is an Artist Mindset Mentor and Coach who helps creative people get out of their own way so that they can overcome the struggles in the life of a visual & performing artist. Clients learn how to express their full potential to create more passionately, profoundly, productively and profitably. Empower the Wizard Within to actualize and express your full creative potential. [http://www.innerwizard.com/]http://www.InnerWizard.com . Free “Empower the Wizard Within tips”!
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A wonderful day with Paul Brent…
and his equally fabulous wife LanaJane. I feel so fortunate that they have a house in Seaside, Oregon, a little over an hour from my house. How serendipity is that because otherwise we couldn’t live much farther apart – Oregon to Florida.
Paul and LanaJane came in to Portland last week and I had the chance to spend the day with them.
They got to experience my amazing parking skills in the underground parking garage… ok, not so amazing. I was freaking out about getting in the space and they were both out of the car guiding me… not my finest moment but we all laughed about it!
We wandered around the Pearl District checking out furniture stores, home stores and some clothing stores to see what colors and patterns were trending, cool display ideas and more. I highly recommend you spend a day like that with fellow artists – they have a different ‘eye’ for things than your non-artist friends and family.
One of the best parts was talking shop with two people with so much insight and experience in art licensing. We bounced ideas off each other… I’ll be the first to admit I was doing more bouncing off of them than they were of me but I think I got them thinking a little… hopefully the “newer to the industry” perspective was helpful. I like to give as much as I get!
But here is the point of this blog post… Paul Brent knows art licensing. He has 20+ years of industry experience and great insights into how to create a sustainable business that is diverse and flexible enough to survive without ‘painting yourself in a box’ as we kept saying. I watched in awe as he and LanaJane looked through some of my work and gave me suggestions for how to position and grow my business.
Having a fresh set of eyes look at your work and give you guidance is so valuable. And Paul really enjoys doing it. So I highly recommend you consider coaching with him. Whether you are new to the business or in it for a while like I am, he has value to add.
Here is what one of his coaching clients had to say:
Last night I had my first consultation with Paul Brent. (I imagine I will have more in the future!) What a great experience! Paul thoroughly studied my website and for a full hour gave me great insight as to how my art relates to the licensing industry. He gave me information that I would not have gotten elsewhere – a great resource! I highly recommend his consultation services.
Sincerely,
Susan Morgan
www.SusanMorganArt.com
You just heard what I have to say. So the last thing I’ll say is if you think you are ready, CLICK HERE and see what coaching services Paul Brent has to offer.
Here’s to your creative success!
– Tara
Internet Radio Show to inspire Single Moms…
I am going to be a guest on The Carloyn Gable Show on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 6 pm PST / 9 pm EST. It is a live, call in show focused on empowering single mothers to achieve their dreams. Get the word out to all your friends and family who are single moms!
Originally, I was scheduled to be on the air on July 30th but I got bumped back… but guess who I got bumped back by? Kristen Armstrong – yes! – Lance Armstrong’s ex-wife! So if you have to get bumped it’s pretty cool to be bumped by someone like that! If you want to listen to her call, you can CLICK HERE to go to the website and get the mp3 replay or listen online.
Anyway – I believe I will be talking about that crossroads moment – when I had to decide to go full-steam ahead and try to build my business and make it as an artist or take the safer route and get a job with a boss and benefits. Who knows what else will come up. I’m really excited because I do want to help inspire women, and single moms in particular, that you can achieve your dreams and follow your passion while still being a great mom.
If you or anyone you know would be interested, I hope you tune in! It’s a weekly show but my week is August 13th!
– Tara
P.S. To learn more about Carolyn Gable, visit her main website at www.CarolynGable.com
Great portrait painting tutorials available online…
My buddy “Dave the Painting Guy” is at it again… a friend was telling me about a few online classes she had taken from him. Great tips, amazingly low price… (don’t tell him or he might raise them – take advantage!)
Anyway, he is in the middle of his current class, In the Flesh: Mixing Fleshtones and getting the Values Right. You can watch the first part as a video playback (which would allow you to stop and paint along!) and the last 3 hours are Tuesday, August 4th. Only $39 for 10 hours of training – sounds like a deal to me so I thought I’d pass it on to you…
Here is a sample of what he is showing his students…
Click here to get all the details… (even if you are reading this after August 4th I bet you can get the full class by video replay so still check it out.)
Happy painting!
– Tara
Resource for getting your art mocked up on products…
Outsourcing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Outsource the jobs you don’t want to do, don’t know how to do, don’t enjoy doing.
I’ve had several artists tell me they want to be able to show potential manufacturers how their art will look on actual products but they don’t have the knowledge, time or desire to do it themselves. Showing a manufacturer that you understand how art and products relate and giving ideas of how your art can look on their product can sometimes give you a leg up to getting a deal. It isn’t a necessity but can help.
Well through an artist I met online, I have found a resource for you to consider.
Ken Picard offers web design, graphic design and yes, mock-up services. (He calls it “artwork mapping” – must be the technical term… 
) Obviously prices will depend on what you want, what you give him to work with as well as the speed and complexity of your job, but I asked Ken to give us some ball-park numbers. I don’t like calling people out of the blue with no concept of whether they will quote me tens, hundreds or thousands of dollars and I’m guessing some of you don’t either. So here is some basic information and if you are looking for this type of service, give Ken a call. If you use his services, I’d love to know how it goes so we can report back!
Basic Product with artwork mapped onto it using Photoshop.
$40 per cylindrical product. (cups, cookie jars, etc…)
$30 per flat product. (calendars, mousepads, etc…)
$30-$60 per cloth product / amorphously shaped product. (aprons, cloth bags, etc…) price depends on complexityof product.
$20 for stock photography of product if you do not have your own.
*Prices may vary due to extra complexities. Please call for a quote.
3-D mapping
Using Strata 3-D I create a digital model of a product and apply artwork onto the model. I place the model in a scene and
set up lighting, just like at a photography studio. A rendering is made and a very realistic looking image is produced. The advantage of 3-D over using Photoshop is flexibility. I can create an image from different angles, change lighting, place the product in different settings. I carry several stock models (cups, plates, etc..) so there would be no cost for creating a model of something that has already exists. Product with artwork mapped onto it using Strata 3-D. $40 per product mapping and rendering on existing model in a scene. (go to kpda.biz/3dartworks to see examples.)
Modeling fees
$40 – simple model (cylindrical or square)
$80 – medium complexity (more than 2 shapes. ex- a soap dispenser.)
$120 to $200- high complexity (several shapes. ex- a piece of furniture.)
*Prices may vary due to extra complexities. Please call for a quote.
I haven’t used Ken’s services personally (I’m still a DIY mock-up girl) but he comes highly recommended by another artist in the field. His contact information is below:
Here’s to your creative success…
– Tara
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